Patterson Belknap Launches New Podcast: “How To Build a Nation in 15 Weeks”

May 30, 2018

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On May 30, 2018, the Firm launched "How to Build a Nation in 15 Weeks," a podcast that will revisit the hottest topics from the 1787 Constitutional Convention and track their current place in the U.S. legal and political landscape.

Building a nation in 15 weeks may sound like a daunting summer project, but that’s just what happened at the Constitutional Convention in 1787. And as it happens, the 2018 calendar syncs up with that historic year, giving us the rare opportunity to relive the debates that shaped our government in “real time” (give or take 231 years). Each week, this podcast revisits the hottest topics from the convention that week in 1787 and tracks their current place in our legal and political landscape. What was at stake in the apportionment debate? Does today’s Supreme Court think about separation of powers in the same way that the Committee of Detail did? Why did George Mason add “high crimes and misdemeanors” to the impeachment clause?

These are the issues that former Assistant U.S. Attorney and frequent legal commentator Harry Sandick will examine in a roundtable format, along with Jon Hatch and their colleagues at the Firm. So, throw in some earbuds, grab a cool summer beverage and for 15 weeks take a tour through the drafting of our Constitution and what it means today.

Harry Sandick noted, "It goes without saying that Jon and I are passionate students of the history of our nation. The realization that the 2018 calendar aligns perfectly with the weeks of the 1787 Constitutional Convention gave us the chance to revisit this historic time week-by-week. Given the current legal and political landscape in America, we thought it would be interesting to examine how the laws written back then have held up or impacted our laws in 2018, and what those who wrote them might think of how things have evolved to modern day America."

"How to Build a Nation in 15 Weeks" will be available beginning May 30 at www.pbwt.com/how-to-build-a-nation-in-15-weeks/, as well as through iTunes and other popular podcast sites and mobile applications. It will run through the summer, mirroring the dates of the Convention in 1787.